The Hypermoto is Ducati's most desireable and exciting new bike in years. It will be available in 2007 in both the Base viersion shown here and a hotter R Performance model.

Ducati New Bikes 2006
Ducati Hypermotard Prototype voted the best design trophy winner of 2005
by the Motorcycle Design Association and EICMA International Motorcycle Show

Bologna, February 2006: The Motorcycle Design Association, a group of designers and professionals from within the two-wheel industry worldwide, has voted the Ducati Hypermotard, designed by Pierre Terblanche, as the best overall motorcycle design trophy winner for 2005.

This award follows on from the 'Best of Show' award that was given to the Hypermotard during the Eicma Show in Milan last November, one of the most important shows worldwide for the motorcycle sector.

The Design Trophy was awarded for the first time in September 2001; since then, every year, over 70 top professionals from the worldwide design sector are called upon to vote for the best motorcycle design. The jury, made up of designers as well as representatives of the press and the main motorcycle manufacturers, gather to chose the winners in five categories, and then nominate the Motorcycle Design Trophy for the best overall motorbike design.

Ducati Hypermotard takes the power, the pleasure and the performance of a supermotard bike to a new extreme and interprets it in Ducati's unmistakeable style. With 100 horsepower and just 175 kg of dry weight, it is still just a concept, but considering its success so far, it could easily become part of the prestigious Ducati range.

FastDates.com has been in contact with the Ducati factory and the Hypermoto is being tooled up for production as soon as possible with an expected release in the spring of 2007 in base design shown above. Base price is expected to be fairly low for Ducati at around $10 -12,000. We have also been lobbying for a hotter performance model with dual front brakes, full Ohlins susprnsion and possibly the 4-valve 140hp Testastretta engine and company CEO Frederica Miloni has told us that wishes do come true.

New 2006 Ducati 999R Xerox Superbike and ST3s ABS Sport Tourer
Birmingham, England,Oct 27th – In the run-up to the presentation of its complete Model Year 2006 range at EICMA in Milan from 15 to 20 November, Ducati chose the prestigious Motorcycle and Scooter Show in Birmingham (UK) to preview two of its new models due out next year. The first is an exclusive version of the 999R, in the form of a “Xerox replica”, which practically duplicates the official 2005 Superbike World Championship bike right down to the graphics and smallest details – and the second is the new ST3s ABS, Ducati’s high-performance sport-touring bike, which will top the range for 2006 and comes complete with ABS and other substantial improvements in terms of equipment and finish.

The 999R “Xerox replica” has a captivatingly aggressive look, in this even more exclusive racing version. Adorned with the graphics of the official bike, this special version of the 999R also features black anodized steering head and footpegs and the red Brembo Racing logo on the radially mounted brake calipers. A further exclusive detail with respect to the standard model is the fully adjustable Ohlins ‘Racing’ rear shock absorber, with dual adjustment of compression damping for high and low relative speeds, body in aluminum and counterspring.

For lovers of “race replica” bikes, there is also a kit containing red adhesive wheel trim and dedicated stickers for the headlamp fairing.

Like the 999R, the “Xerox replica” is also supplied as standard with a racing kit (the Termignoni exhaust kit consisting of a horizontal, cylindrical half-manifold, in place of the standard part of the exhaust system, which houses the catalytic converter, ‘open’ silencer and carbon cover specifically for the open silencer), which further accentuates the sporting spirit of this incredible, high-performance Ducati built for track and competition use.

Another unmissable preview is the new ST3s ABS, which will spearhead the Ducati Sport Touring range as of 2006. The ST3 ABS features top-end cycle parts (fully adjustable Showa forks with TiN treatment; fully adjustable Ohlins rear shock absorber; aluminum swingarm; five-spoke wheels), are complemented by a further safety feature in the form of ABS brakes. These were developed in response to the sporting nature of the bike, to ensure maximum safety without compromising performance even at the limit.

The new ST3sABS shares the same versatile Desmo3 liquid-cooled 3-valve engine as the ST3, for an optimum combination of the low-rev torque typical of 2-valve engines with the power of 4-valve units. It also meets Euro 3 anti-pollution standards.

The ST3s ABS will be available from Ducati Dealers in December, while the 999R Xerox will be available in January.The US and Canadian pricing on the two bikes in the press release yesterday are as follows:
999R Xerox - $32,995 USD (41,995 CND) • ST3s ABS - $14,495 USD ($19,995 CND)

Ducati Gets Naked with Its Meanest Monster Ever
DUCATI MONSTER S4Rs
Ducati calls the new Monster S4Rs "...a bike without compromise, a true superbike in every way. Only the full fairing has been removed. Nothing else has been sacrificed. All the legendary Superbike power and character of the potent desmodromic Testastretta engine remains. The new, amazingly powerful Ducati Monster S4Rs is as unique as its name, and the pace-setter that all other naked models must measure up to. Ducati leads the way in naked motorcycles, and is always coming up with something new and original and is determined to maintain it.

The Monster S4Rs is a masterpiece of technology and design. One glance at the bike, even parked, is enough to make your heart miss a beat and your breathing quicken. Just look at the harmony of the design and the precision of the engineering. In its premier performance, and taking centre stage is the Testastretta engine, embraced by Ducati’s legendary trellis frame and the unmistakable styling that has always characterised a Monster.

The styling is that of a spectacular, custom, the sort of bike we could previously only dream of. Yet the Monster S4Rs Testastretta is impressively real. The sensation of power oozes from every pore. In addition to the common features shared by all Ducati Monsters with single sided swingarms, like the small upper fairing, vertically stacked twin exhausts and longitudinal stripe (bigger and centrally positioned on the S4Rs), the S4Rs also incorporates a large number of eye-catching racing components.

The S4Rs features new graphics and colour schemes to enhance the 999-derived front end and the Y-spoke wheels that recall the racing origins of this naked superbike. In fact, Ducati Corse has contributed a large number of small but important details to this Monster, details that might not be noticed under a full fairing but that cry out for attention on this meanest of all Monsters, like the triangular oil cooler for example. Add to that a long list of carbon fibre parts, plus the stunning twin aluminium exhausts and the performance first priority of the S4Rs is obvious. The Monster S4Rs looks aggressive and stunningly essential. It tells you in no uncertain terms what sort of performance, technology, design and passion lies in front of you.In short, the S4Rs Testastretta is a dream machine, with a look and feel that satisfies even before you twist the throttle." - so the press release ends..

Essentialy the S4RS is a parts bin special, employing as many exhisting components as possible from both the Monster and Superbikes line to keep the cost low, but the desireability high. One unnerving compromise of this is the old Monster frame which does not extend down at the rear of the engine with a 3rd mounting point to reinforce the chassis at the engine swimagrm pivot like it has does on all of Ducati's Superbike models, and does so again on newer Multistradas and Hypermoto prototype. Here the single sided swingarm is left hanging off the rear of the engine cases, an application which has proven to be fully reliable with less powerful Monster engine installations in previous applications. But for serious sport riding the S4Rs could be a Flexi Flyer.

Along with a Superbike spec frame, we would be excited to see the 10 year old Monster design updated with more modern styling in the S4R. Certainly a more contemporary gas tank, front headlight cowling, and plastic front side covers to enclose a higher placed oil cooler and water radiator radiators -something similar in style to the newer Ducati Multistrada and Hypermoto prototype.

Availability of the Monster S4S at US Dealers is May 2006 with a bargain basement List Price of just $14,995, some $4,000 to $8,000 less than a comparibly spec'ed Yamaha R1, Aprilia Mille R or Ducatii 999S. Getting naked has its advantages.

Return to Ducati Index • New Bike Index • Pit Lane News

Ducati Desmosedici
4-Cylinder MotoGP Bike Scheduled for Release around May 2006
The scheduled delivery of the 200 bike limited production Ducati Desmosedici 4-cylinder 990cc MotoGP bikes for the street is expected to begin in this May/June with the first bike delivered to the owner at a European MotoGP round.

The bike was first announced to the world at World Ducati Week in May 2004 with a retail price of US $50,000 with the first bike to be delived this May at World Ducati Week 2006, which unfortunately was postponed until next year, necessitating the first delivery now to take place at a MotoGP.

It is not clear if all 200 examples of the Desmosedici production bike will be delivered to customers in 2006 as this would certainly disqualify the factory Ducati MotoGP team from running or earning points in the 2006 MotoGP Championship which is restricted to prototype bikes only.

But looking ahead to 2007 when MotoGP rules will drop engine displacement to 800cc, necessitating all the top teams to change to a newer, more compact engine design, the current Desmosedici 4-cylinder 1000cc will no longer be needed for MotoGP, however it will be eligible for SBK World Superbike having meet the homoligation requirement of 200 production bikes.

At the end of the 2006 SBK World Superbike season, should Ducati find its stalwart 999F V-twin superbike no longer capable of performing on par with the Japanese 4-cylinder superbikes, you can bet a new Desmosedici Superbike will be rolled out of the race shop, with lower than $50,000 cost full-on production roadbike examples soon to follow.

When that happens, the Japanese factory superbikes will be decimated. The reason being, as already proven in MotoGP, is the Ducati's desmodromic valve gear gives their engine a much higher RPM limit and with it, the ability to make much more peak power (250hp? than a Japanese engine running traditional valve springs (200hp?). The power difference is not as noticeable in MotoGP since since the Desmosedici is racing against prototpe GP engines (240hp?), but in a production engine Superbike class the power difference could be as much as 30-50 horsepower!

The reason the current 999 V-twin desmo design can't match the Japanese in-line 4 cylinders for peak power is the simple fact a big 500cc piston / rod / crank assembly can't spin as high to make as much horsepower as a much smaller 250cc picton / crank / rod. But once on an equal playing field with the same number of 4-cylinders, the Ducati desmos will dominate.

However, Ducati will want to delay any (inevitable?) change to the 4-cylinder Desmosedici as a Superbike and stick with the 999 V-Twin as long as possible, as long as they can still win some races. The 999 is the flagship leader of their entire V-twin line of Ducati production street bikes and they will champion it as long as possible for marketing purposes. We'd expect, though, to see Ducati Corse running a mixed team of the V-twin and the V-four Superbikes in 2007.

Ducati's latest generation
999 Superbike first introduced in 2003 -
Technical changes, rider's impressions
Engineer Andrea Forni, head of the Ducati Vehicle Testing Department summarizes the fundamentals behind the Ducati 999's dynamic response.

How would you describe the dynamic characteristics of the Ducati 999 compared to the traditional handling of the models produced by Ducati?
"The dynamic response of the Ducati 999 reflects the tradition of the Bolognese motorcycling manufacturer in the field of sports motorcycles, and moreover improves some of the features that have won the fame of our
Superbikes over the decades.
First of all, the directional stability is at peak levels, giving the rider the reassurance of solid, safe steering,
even in the most critical sport riding conditions on the track or road.
On uneven stretches taken at top speed, around curves on the track or highway at full momentum and down hills at maximum throttle, the front of the bike follows the direction decided by the rider, with exemplary
precision.
This without triggering steering oscillations, an undesirable side effect of the "extreme" chassis of many late generation sport bikes selected for maximum agility, even to the detriment of stability."

What were the basic design choices of the Ducati 999's frame and chassis?
"Our new Superbike maintains that unique stability that all Ducati's have, but it also improves some basic requirements of the super sport motorcycles thanks to specific design decisions. These include:
1) lowering the rider's seat level by 15 mm (6.9")
2) lengthening the swing arm by 15 mm
3) reducing the distance between the seat and handlebars by 10 mm

Was lowering the seat level done just to improve comfort?
This modification was not made, as one may think, just to achieve greater comfort; it significantly influences the dynamic response of the vehicle as well.
In fact, lowering the rider's seating level, implies lowering the whole center of gravity, which is significantly affected by the position the rider assumes on the motorcycle."

Why does the special positioning of the center of gravity on the Ducati 999 greatly improve its dynamic response?
"In the first place, lowering the center of gravity produces a reduction of the shift in load during braking and acceleration.
The result is a smaller tendency of the bike to pull up when accelerating violently (which reduces the performance during acceleration at lower gears), while the rear wheel tends less to lift during intense braking (an impediment to vehicle decelerations)."

Does the swingarm length affect stability during braking and acceleration of the Ducati 999?
Definitely. A longer swingarm produces a variation in how the static loads are divided up on the wheels, increasing the share of weight weighing on the front and therefore limiting the pull upwards.
So the excellent torque delivered by the Testastretta can be maximized even in the lowest gears without the
front wheel losing contact with the ground too easily.
The rider will always be guaranteed the greatest cohesion with his course. A long swingarm also improves the stability when braking because it increases the bike's wheelbase (distance between the front wheel shaft and the rear wheel shaft). This increase ensures a reduction in the shift in load
when accelerating strongly.
In fact, the loss of grip of the rear during hard braking is countered by the limited transfer of load, although a good part of the weight is concentrated in the front of the Ducati 999. As a result, the motorcycle doesn't "wag".

What are the parameters that assure the superb handling of the Ducati 999?
Lowering the whole center of gravity of the rider-motorcycle unit has beneficial effects on handling as well. In fact, the Ducati 999 is a motorcycle that bends over with little effort and extreme rapidity, demonstrating an enviable pace, even on the most tortuous stretches.

The really good stuff....
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